1918 Map of Planada

About this map

The Planada townsite is the focal point of this 1915 survey, situated at the intersection of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad and the Merced Road. This Central Valley landscape transition from the flatter agricultural plains near Burchell to the undulating foothills in the northeast, where Burns Creek and Black Rascal Creek descend toward the valley floor. The map illustrates a complex hydraulic network typical of the region, featuring Bear Creek, Miles Creek, and Owens Creek as they meander westward. Local infrastructure is sparse but critical, evidenced by the Cunningham School standing in the eastern interior. The surveyor's careful work, led by R. B. Marshall, documents a period of early development before extensive modern irrigation reshaped these seasonal drainages like Duck Slough.